By Leonard Finkel
StrackaLine produced its best-in-the-game greens guides for participants in The Match last weekend at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas.
Two of the game’s legends used StrackaLine greens guides as they competed for a $9 million, winner-take-all purse that attracted the attention of the American sporting public over the Thanksgiving holiday.
“The Match pitted two of the greatest players in the game’s history against each other, and they wanted access to the best information available, so were happy to provide them with our greens guides,” said StrackaLine president Jim Stracka. “It was a great event and we were certainly happy to be part of it.”
The announcing team for The Match also had access to the greens maps, allowing them to provide insight to the viewing audience on the putts players faced during the 22-hole match.
Consumers who would like an exact replica of the book Phil and Tiger used, can email [email protected] ($25, including shipping). The book will include the hole locations that were used during The Match.
The StrackaLine team took its state-of-the-art laser scanner to Shadow Creek, a highly acclaimed Tom Fazio design, and scanned every green, allowing the company to map each putting surface with accuracy down to the millimeter.
StrackaLine’s quality and accuracy have led to widespread adoption on the PGA Tour, in addition to their use by more than 300 Division I college teams.
On October 15, 2018, the USGA and R&A released guidelines for Greens Guides. StrackaLine is working with the governing bodies to ensure golfers have books that comply with organization’s interpretation of Rule 4.3.
StrackaLine now has more than 800 courses scanned, including some of the nation’s most prominent layouts. The greens maps, which feature easy to read arrows, allow players to view contour and fall lines, in addition to slope percentage, anywhere on the green.
For more information on how to order a greens guide or have a course scanned, go to http://www.strackaline.com/.
Leonard Finkel is the author of The Secrets to the Game of Golf & Life and former editor in chief of Golf Journeys Magazine. His work has been featured in almost 200 publications including Golf Magazine, Golf Digest, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Golf Illustrated, Golf Tips and Player Magazine. He has written more than a dozen cover stories for Golf Today Magazine. He has written extensively about golf and travel and has added poker to his writing repertoire. Finkel also works as a marketing and public relations consultant. His specialty niche is writing advertorial copy. Prior to his career in golf, Finkel owned a chain of retail stores and a consulting and import company based in Asia. He attended the University of Utah.